Brain grows when older workers learn new tricks, study shows
Posted : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:11:02 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Health

Hamburg- When older workers learn new skills, their brain cells
develop, German scientists said Wednesday after a study that used
computer tomography to peer deep inside the brain. The study, in which
people aged 50 to 67 were taught to juggle, disproved a previous
assumption that brain growth ends during young adulthood. It was
conducted by Eppendorf University Hospital in Hamburg and the
University Hospital in Jena, Germany.

After three months of learning, parts of the brain grew. When the
subjects stopped juggling for another three months, their brains
shrank again. The study, with lead author Arne May, was reported in
the Journal of Neuroscience.

"This shows how important it is for older people to keep taking on new
challenges and learning new things," May said.

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